News Detail

RTA driver jumps to action to help distressed woman

Dayton police are crediting the quick action of a Greater Dayton RTA bus driver with saving the life of a woman.

Driver Damone “D” Hudson was driving a bus full of passengers on Feb. 16 when he said he noticed a woman who looked like she was about to jump from the Main Street bridge in downtown Dayton.

“I just knew I needed to talk to her,” Hudson said.

He immediately stopped his bus on the bridge and got out to talk to the distressed woman.

“I went up to her and just started talking, I asked her if she wanted a hug,” Hudson said.

In his 24 years driving RTA buses around the city, Hudson said he’s heard some crazy stories, but this event made his heart rush.

“I wasn’t trying to be heroic, I just saw someone that looked like she was definitely in pain or trouble and I just wanted to make a connection,” he said.

He spent just moments talking to woman, and in that time motioned to another passerby to call police, Hudson said. Within minutes a Dayton Police officer was on the scene and Hudson let police take over. The woman was eventually helped back over the railing to safety, officers said.

The RTA will honor Hudson for his swift action at the upcoming RTA Board meeting on March 7.